The light of the Pearl died as the seaweed began to uncoil from my body, an odd sensation making my entire body shake as I sunk to my knees beside the pedestal. My body was tremoring and I couldn't move, my skin feeling cold and lifeless.

"What happened? What did you see?" I heard their voices as Karmen knelt in front of me, patting both my cheeks with her hands.

"Come back to us, Kate." She gave me a little shake before looking over her shoulder. "The first time always tends to be the hardest." Karmen's sea colored eyes bore into mine. "Wakey wakey! I know that walking through hell was a little scary for you, but you're back with Auntie Karmen!"

"You went to hell?" Cybele asked, horror audible in her voice.

"Just a big wall of fire we had to run through. It was a piece of cake!" She chuckled before looking behind her again. "Raphael, can you go into the other room and grab the purple bottle labeled Kaboom!"

"When did I become the whipping boy?" He nevertheless went through the curtain, disappearing behind the beads.

"Is she alright? She isn't acting normal." Finn's voice made me shudder as I looked up into his eyes, those deep sky blue orbs that I'd just seen inside that Pearl.

"She's responding." Karmen's voice made me look to her. "There you go, Sugar! Raphael! The Boom juice!"

"I'm looking!" He yelled in reply as Karmen laced her fingers in mine.

"Pretty girl, we're back. I know you hit the ground over there pretty damn hard, but it's time to come back to us fully." The curtains ruffled as Raphael came back through, extending the purple bottle to Karmen. "I'm going to make you drink some, and you aren't going to like it but we need to get it out of your system."

"What's in her system?"

"It happens from time to time when you dig deep into the Pearl. You go too deep and it gets your brain stuck sometimes. I might have walked her a little too far down the path, but she needed to learn some things before I could bring her back." She held the bottle to my lips, coaxing me to drink it.

I did without a second thought, liquid like ice and fire running down the back of my throat. Instantly, a wave of nausea overcame my body as I gasped for air, my stomach rolling into the thickest knot as my vision blurred. My limbs sprung to life as Karmen released me, and I fell onto the floor, my forehead on the tile.

"Bathroom is the door on the left! Happens all the time." I was on my feet and through the curtain before anyone could stop me. Slamming the bathroom door shut behind me, I vomited out everything I had left in my stomach into the toilet.

Heaving with tears in my eyes, slowly I could breath again. My entire body trembled as I flushed everything down. I leaned my head back against the wall as I pulled my knees to my chest. Closing my eyes, I took deep breathes, a consistent pain pounded inside my head.

Fates, what the hell?

Another wave of nausea made me groan as I rested my head on my hands, trying to suck in fresh air. My mind wandered back to what I'd seen in the Pearl.

Hell, multiple times. I'd go to hell frequently in the future it seemed. A storm? A sword? All just random bits and pieces of things to come. How would I even know when these things mattered? There were a lot of swords and thunderstorms.

I felt a weight in my chest as I wrapped my arms around my stomach. The child. Correction, my kid. I'd have a baby? With... Finn? I shook my head, gripping it between my hands. Finn and I? Me and Finn? Kate and Finn? Finn and Kate?

I hadn't thought about us like that...

"Kate?" Karmen banged on the door, making me jump. "You better have made it to the toilet!"

"Yep..." I laughed like I was insane. "Made it! Definitely made it!"

"She sounds like she's high." I heard Raphael comment through the door.

"Side effects. She'll be a little loopy." Karmen replied, "how much more time do you need, Sugar?"

"Just a little longer." I breathed, my fingers shaking.

"Alright! No worries." Her voice was a little more distant as I heard their footsteps. "This, my dear friends, is why you don't struggle. I told you, the Pearl goes for the brain like a woman aims for the balls!"

I stood to my feet, turning on the sink as I splashed water on my face. Rubbing my eyes, I looked into the mirror, noticing my puffy eyes and pale skin. This was crazy! Insane!

Didn't I already say that before?

Running my fingers through my hair, I bit down on my lip before throwing the bathroom door open.

I nearly fell backwards when I saw that Finn was leaned against the opposite wall. My body collided with the door as I gripped the frame. His blue eyes flickered with concern as he took a step forward. "Are you ok, Kate?"

"Fine! Perfect! Fantastic!" I replied, letting out a whistle. "Is it warm in here? I think it's burning up. I'm going this way." I pointed down the hall, shuffling quickly in the direction where I'd heard Karmen and Cybele's voices.

Except, a particular guardian had caught up with me, his fingers softly touching my arm. I jumped in shock, whipping around to stare at his hand before up into his eyes. "What... why...?"

"Are you sure that you're alright?" His voice was delicate and very calm as he looked at me, a whole new face I'd seen before but never actually seen at the same time. His eyes were the prettiest of blues that captivated me in a way I hadn't experienced before, his lips a soft pink and the curve of his jawline sharp like the sword he carried. It made my skin itch as I bit my lip.

"I just feel... weird. Very strange." I shook my head, clenching my fingers tight before releasing them. "Tired, I guess. I don't know. Everything feels like a dream. A messed up dream."

He nodded before his fingers released me, scrapping across the skin of my jacket. I looked to his hand before back up to his eyes. "We're staying the night so you can get some sleep. I hope you feel better, alright?"

I offered him a thin smile. "Thanks, Finn. I'm... going to talk to Karmen now. That way." I turned, walking down the hallway as I clamped my eyes shut.

Why was I so weird?

Cybele's laugh made me turn into the adjoining room where the three stood, sitting on a set of couches as they looked to me. Karmen threw up her arms. "Yeah! Quick recovery!"

"I feel like shit." I breathed, walking forward. Stumbling over nothing, I hit the side table, catching the lamp before it hit the ground.

"Yeah! Good save!" Karmen clapped her hands as I put the lamp back in place. "Take a seat, Kate."

I sunk onto the empty couch, resting my elbows on my knees before holding my head up with my hands. The headache was now terrible, making me close my eyes as I took in a deep breath.

"A grade A hangover." Raphael mused as he took a sip from a glass of water.

"When will she be better, Karmen?" Cybele asked.

"Tomorrow after some good food and a long night of sleep." She replied, "and I'll give you the update since the Pretty Lady's under the weather." Karmen cleared her throat, "I'd say Secta doesn't have much to worry about with her. She barely has any darkness in there besides the usual amount. We walked far enough in that I saw her Test."

"Which does she choose?"

"She picks the Light." Karmen replied without a second thought. "It was a big moment in her timeline with a hell of a lot of gravity around it. It didn't look pretty so I'd tell you all to be ready, but she'll succeed and stay true to what's inside. I'm not worried about her at all, and Secta should feel confident in her strength."

"She's the Prodigy?" Finn asked, his voice alone making goosebumps rise on my skin as I reflected back to the kid in the Pearl. Our baby.

"I can't tell you that. We would have known who our Prodigy was a long time ago if the answers were clear. The only thing I can say with confidence is that she's a good egg and there is a great deal of power in there. Kate, dear?" I looked up to Karmen, a head rush making me feel dizzy. "Have you been experimenting with your meraki?"

"Some. I can't really control it."

"That would make sense. You can put your head back down. You're looking pale." I rested my head back on my hands as she continued to speak. "I picked around inside her head, and it's one of the largest sources of meraki I've ever seen. It's going to be a bitch to tame, but she can do it. You need to work slowly with her because a power source like that can get away from her very easily. I'd say if she isn't careful, something as enormous as that could kill her in one outburst."

I lifted my head as I gripped the couch. "What?"

Karmen looked back to me. "You are extremely talented and very gifted, Kate. Your meraki is extraordinary, and you are a force to be reckoned with. You're stronger than Secta, but you're just beginning to feel the power surging inside of you. I need you to be strong and keep control over that power or else it will kill you. I won't sugar coat it: the more you practice and form a relationship with it, the faster the threat of having your brain fried will disappear. You will be able to control all of your meraki if you don't rush your mind's capabilities of becoming familiar with it. Once you are able to manipulate it, no one can stand in your way. You have a very high chance of being the Prodigy, but I can't know for sure."

"Is she stronger than Noxia?" Cybele asked, her voice quiet.

"I can't say because I never knew her capabilities. She might be if she's stronger than the God of Light, but it all comes down to how quickly she learns to use her meraki and if she can find a balance with it. Meraki is its own being, not a weapon or a tool. It has a mind of its own and a certain spirit that needs to trust its host." Karmen gave me a wink, "love your meraki more than anyone else and bask in it. You should be fine if you're patient and kind."

"I'll... try." I breathed, standing to my feet. "I need to get some sleep."

"Wait a moment!" Karmen stood to her feet, grabbing my hand as she led me down the hall into another room, this time a large kitchen. "Eat and then I will show you to your room."

She pulled out a large platter of food and my stomach rumbled. Pizza. Karmen took a few slices and put them on a plate before turning to fill a glass with water.

"Karmen?"

"Yes?"

"Can I see my sister? Secta said..."

"Cybele told me this over the atlas, all about your hometown, that nice sister of yours, Matilda, and how you desperately want to see her because you saw her in a vision. Correct?"

"How did I do that?"

"Your meraki answered your deepest desire, and that was knowing how Matilda was doing. It's also a psychic ability," her eyes looked up to me, "which makes me believe that you have some oracle blood in your veins from some source. That paired with your meraki allows you to view a place in spirit while your body is far away. Extraordinary really that you've figured it out this early."

"I can't control that either."

She shrugged, sliding me the plate and the drink. "You'll learn." Her eyes looked up into mine. "You can go visit your sister. I give my nod of approval. There will be some speed bumps in your path, but I can see that you will be fine. You have a long road ahead, Kate. You need to feel confident going down that path even if Matilda isn't by your side. She is branching in a different direction and you have a duty to fulfill. A new path."

Karmen sighed as she gave me a sad smile.

"I'm sad to say it, but you're going to have to let her go and trust that she will make it on her own. It's time for you to go separate ways, because your future doesn't align with Ultrona any longer. It is greater than that, and you need to be ready to accept it without hesitation."